"In
view of the incidents of alleged excesses by forces deployed to
combat left wing extremism and restore peace in the conflict zones
of Odisha, the bigger need is to put in place a clear operational
guideline for CRPF and other armed forces camping in places of
conflict. And, also, there must be provisions of strong punishment
for armed force personnel engaged in terrorising people and in
nuisances like the recent case of Deogarh in Odisha."

HNF Correspondent

At a time when the role of Central Reserve Police Force and other armed forces
deployed in various places of conflict due to Left Wing Extremism is being
repeatedly questioned by common people and various civil society bodies, a
recent incident of CRPF attacking officials of Rural Water Supply and Sanitation
(RWSS), Deogarh Division, Odisha, has led to public discontentment in Odisha’s Deogarh.
The incident occurred on 13 December 2012.

As per complaints, accompanied by two of his associates, an Assistant Commandant
of CRPF came to the divisional office of RWSS and asked for the utilisation
certificate (UC) of the fund deposited by the CRPF to set a tube well in the
compound of Kansaratha High School under public welfare programmes.

As per a release issued by some RWSS staff
members, the CRPF officer scolded the RWSS staff when they expressed
their inability to do anything about the UC in the absence of the
Executive Engineer and the accountant and then left the office. It’s
only in half an hour that the Assistant Commandant along with six other
Jawans came to the RWSS office again, terrorised and started beating the
RWSS staff, said the release issued by three of RWSS staff.

Initially reluctant to register First
Information Report (FIR) in this regard, local police had to do it after
demonstration by the RWSS staff members and related associations. The
state police, however, couldn’t initiate any action in this regard
probably because its power to do so in case of CRPF personnel is
limited.

As the RWSS staffs were on demonstration
in front of the office and had threatened to expand it to the offices of
Revenue Divisional Commissioner (RDC), the Commandant of CRPF 12th
Battalion in Sambalpur visited the office and appealed to withdraw the
demonstration and join work with the promise that there would be a fair
probe in this regard.

In a letter to the concerned officials,
Commandant Sunil Kumar Yadav wrote, “The matter was
discussed with you on 18.12.2012 and I assured that the incident
occurred on 13.12.2012 will be inquired into very free and fare manner
and the accused will be punished according to the act and rules of CRPF.
In this connection an inquiry against the erring officials/ officer has
been initiated vide this office order number P/VIII/1/2012-EC-2 dated
18.12.2012.”

The demonstration and
its planned expansion have been conditionally postponed after the
promise from CRPF Commandant S K Yadav.

It’s known from a source that an amount of
about 74000 rupees was deposited by CRPF on November 6, 2012 with the
RWSS office for the said tube well. However, the amount was deposited in
the treasury, on November 21, as the tube well works couldn’t start
immediately. While asking for the UC for the unutilised money deposited
for the tube well raises questions, the incident also points at unwanted
delay in implementing various welfare works in the LWE affected areas.

In view of the
incidents of alleged excesses by forces deployed to combat left wing
extremism and restore peace in the conflict zones of Odisha, general
people cite at the
need of putting in place a clear operational guideline for CRPF and other
armed forces camping in places of conflict. "And, also, there must be
provisions of strong punishment for armed force personnel engaged in
terrorising people and in nuisances like the recent case of Deogarh. The
armed force personnel must be educated through regular courses that they
are empowered to fight the evils only and not to take law into hand in
any case or harass innocent people in any way", opine many local people
of Deogarh adding that "Regular sessions in the
camps of various armed forces for moral education and self control would
work better in this regard."